Mike Swiney retirement from MKR
Personal Profile
Mike started in the oil industry in 1970 when he joined Shell-Mex and BP in London as a management trainee entrant. The next few years were spent gaining commercial experience in automotive and industrial fuels, and then coastal shipping and rail operations, initially with BP Marketing and then Shell UK Marketing, following Brand Separation. In 1979, Mike moved across the water to Shell Centre where he worked as part of an international team supplying base oils, specialist lubricants, greases, technical services and training to nationalised oil companies in North and West Africa. This was to be the start of his long involvement with the lubricants business.
Returning to the Shell UK Head Office in 1983, during the following year, Mike took up a sales management role in Retail Lubricants based in East Anglia. In 1987, the family moved up to Cheshire when he joined Shell Oils in a trading role. By 1990, the scope of this job had widened considerably to include responsibility for Shell’s UK base oil wholesale sales activity, later to include process oils.
In 1995, Mike moved to Deutsche Shell where he managed the supply of their speciality lubricant products from Harburg refinery to other Group companies in Europe. Returning from Hamburg in 1998, he became part of the newly-formed Shell European Oil Products business, responsible together with the local operating companies for their base oil wholesale sales activity. This was to be his last job in Shell and he took early retirement in 2002 after 31 years with the company.
Totally unexpectedly, Mike was approached by Meade-King, Robinson (MKR) in April 2005, following their appointment as Shell’s UK base oil distributor. Working together with Paul Rothery and their sales team, his past experience with Shell was put to good use in helping to provide strategic direction and valuable commercial and technical support as the business grew, later to be augmented by process oils. Mike was appointed a director of MKR in 2007 and Crestchem Ltd (an MKR subsidiary) in 2009.
Mike served on the BLF Board for three years in the early 1990s until his departure for Germany prevented him from further involvement. Once back with MKR, he was invited to join the UKLA Board, which he was a member of from 2007 until his recent retirement. He also served on a number of sub-committees during this time.
Commenting at his recent retirement dinner on his career in the oil industry, Mike thanked those who had made his 40 plus years in the business so enjoyable for their friendship and support. “ In particular, I would like to thank MKR for giving me the opportunity to spend a second term in the industry and wish them continued success in the future. I have plenty of outside interests to occupy my time, family and now grandchildren, travel, classic cars (Mercedes of course) and fund-raising work, to name but a few, and now the time and energy to develop some new ones.”
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LUBE MAGAZINE NO.130 DECEMBER 2015
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